Module 1b: Complete Sign-up for a POS "Dummy" Account

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Online Ordering Module 1a: Create User	Online Ordering Module 2: Sign-in

Create and sign in a user via the online ordering system whose account was initially created at the POS.

You must have read the Online Ordering Module 1a: Create User tutorial.

Some developers are building both POS and online ordering integrations with Punchh. If a user signs up at the POS using a phone number only, a “dummy” account will be created in Punchh that is part of Punchh loyalty but is not a full account. After a user partially signs up at the POS, a business can have marketing materials that direct the user to complete the account profile online. The user can complete the account profile on the business website or mobile app using this alternate sign-up flow through the online ordering integration. When completing the account profile online, the user provides the phone number that was initially used at the POS and then provides additional information (email address, password, etc.) required to set up a full account. The partial “dummy” account that was created at the POS using only the phone number will be merged with the user’s full account to become a single account in Punchh.

Note: You may pass access_token instead of authentication_token in the authorization header of online ordering endpoints. It will be passed as a bearer token (e.g., Authorization: Bearer {{access_token_goes_here}})

For more information about how the “dummy” account is created at the POS, see the POS Module 2: Create User tutorial.


Endpoint Name/Path	Relevant Request Parameters	Relevant Response Parameters
Sign up With Email and Password POST {server-name}/api/auth/customers.json	client external_source external_source_id The following parameters shown under the User object must be provided: - email - password Other relevant parameters under the User object may or may not be required, depending on how the business is configured in the Punchh platform: - first_name - last_name - terms_and_conditions - zip_code - phone - birthday	created_at user_joined_at access_token

For example code showing how to create a new user account using a phone number at the POS, see the POS Module 2: Create User tutorial.

For example code showing how to create a new user account in the online ordering system, see the Online Ordering Module 1a: Create User tutorial.

1. A user creates an account at the POS at a business, providing only a phone number (using the POS - Create New User API as described in the POS Module 2: Create User tutorial).

Example: The user has visited a restaurant several times, and at each visit provides a phone number to accrue reward points. However, the user cannot take advantage of the full account features (e.g., email campaigns) and cannot log in to see the points balance until completing the account setup on the restaurant’s website or mobile app.

2. The user completes the account profile by providing required information (email address, password, etc.) on the business website (via the Online Ordering - Sign up With Email and Password API) or mobile app (via the Mobile - Sign up / Register API).

3. If the sign-up in Step 2 uses the same phone number provided in Step 1, the partial “dummy” account created in Step 1 gets merged with the full account created in Step 2.

4. After the merge, the user can see transaction history and accrued points in the full account and can now be targeted by offers that the business sends out via email campaigns.

Be sure to review the "Best Practices" section in the Online Ordering Module 1a: Create User tutorial.
Punchh does not support phone-number-only integrations (e.g., via SMS/text). A user’s email address is required in order to target the user with campaigns, which are typically sent as offers via email.

Online Ordering Module 1a: Create User

Online Ordering - Sign up With Email and Password API

POS Module 2: Create User

POS - Create New User API

Mobile - Sign up / Register API